Railway brake beam structure



Feb. 28, 1961 J SPAETH 2,973,063

RAILWAY BRAKE BEAM STRUCTURE Filed March 14, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lll/5.1111111111,

Feb. 28, 1961 1. J. sPAETH 2,973,063

RAILWAY BRAKE BEAM STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 14, 1957 FIG.. I2.

FIG. Ii.

FIG. I3.

RAILWAY BRAKE BEAM STRUCTURE Irvin J. Spaeth, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Chicago Railway Equipment Company, Chicago, lll., a corporation of ois Filed Mar. 14, 1957, Ser. No. 645,997

6 Claims. (Cl. 18S-229.6)

The invention relates to railway brake beams of the Vtruss type in which the strut intermediate the ends of the beam may be rotated about its axis to accommodate a brake lever inclined either to the left or to the right.

Such so-called reversible struts have usually consisted of a plurality of parts, one of which mounts the lever and is rotatable relative to another part or parts fixed to the main compression and tension members of the beam. The main object of the present invention is to adapt a one-piece strut for reversing, thus avoiding assembly of separate parts, and making a stronger and more serviceable strut than one which is formed of separate parts. Another object of the invention is to avoid the necessity of a separate key for holding the strut in a selected operating position.

In the accompanying drawings:

`Figure 1 is a top view of a truss type brake beam embodying the invention, the strut being in a functioning position in which its slot is inclined 40 to the right from the vertical.

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section on line 2 2 of Figure 1, but drawn to a larger scale and showing the strut turned to an intermediate position with its fulcrum pin hole disposed horizontally.

,Figure 3 is a detail longitudinal vertical section on line 3 3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a detail horizontal section on line 4 4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 corresponds to Figure 3, but shows the strut rotated to the functioning position shown in Figure l. The section is taken on line 5 5 of Figure l.

Figure 6 is a detail vertical section on line 6 6 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a detail section similar to the lower portion of Figure 6, but showing a modification of the compression member ange seat.

Figure 8 is a detail side view of the end of the strut which engages the tension member, as shown in Figures v l and 2, and corresponds to the right hand end of Figure Z without the tension member.

Figure 9 is an end view of the strut part seen in Figure 8.

Figure l0 is a detail section on line 1(1 10 of Figure 9.

Figure 11 corresponds to the left hand portion of Fig- -ure 2 but shows another form of the invention.

Figure l2 is a top View of the structure shown in Figure l1 with the strut turned to a right hand lever mounting position, a portion of the strut and compression member being sectioned to more clearly illustrate the structure.

Figure 13 is a detailed vertical section on line 13 13 of Figure 11.

The beam includes a compression member 1 of channel section, a tension member 2 of flat bar section, a tubular strut 3 between members 1 and 2 intermediate their ends, and thrust members 4 consisting of brake rates arent 1 A2,973,06i Patented Feb. 1961 2 heads secured to the compression and tension members by rivets 5.

Strut 3 has a spherical segment end 6 bearing against an opposing flat surface on tension member 2. Upstanding ears 7 (Figures 8, 9 and 10) hold the strut and the tension member against disalignment but are spaced apart a greater distance than the width of the tension member to accommodate the swiveling of the strut between right hand and left hand functioning positions. The rounded end face of the strut is flattened at 8 to provide a flat bearing for the bar tension member. Lugs 9 project slightly above the end surface of the strut and cooperate with ears 7 to hold the strut against undesired angular motion. When the strut is to be shifted intentionally, the tension bar may slide over lugs 9.

The opposite end of the strut forms a closed loop providing a passage for the compression member. The loop inner side wall 10 is provided with a recess 11 in which is mounted a pad or cushion 12 of yielding material, such as rubber or other plastic, forming a bearing for the outer face of the channel web 13. The opposite outer side wall 14 of the loop has a rectangular seat forming surface 15 spaced from the top and bottom of the loop which is parallel to and remote from wall 10 and engages the edges of channel flanges 16 when the strut is in the intermediate nonfunctioning position shown in Figure 2 with the axis of its fulcrum pin hole 17 disposed in the general plane of the beam as defined by the longitudinal axes of the compression member, tension member and strut. Loop wall 14 has surfaces offset lengthwise of the strut. axis from seat 15 toward opposite wall 10 and forming spaced seats 21, 22, 23 and 24, diagonally disposed pairs of which engage the edges of channel flanges 16 when the strut is rotated about its axis to either functioning position, one of which is shown in Figures l, 5 and 6. Sloping surfaces 25 extend between the four corners of seat 15 and inwardly oEset seats 21, 22, 23, 24, which are parallel to seat 15, and form inclined ramps between the offset seats and diverging outwardly from the longitudinal axis of the strut at each side of that axis, over which the edges of the compression member flanges slide to facilitate the rotation of the strut between the lower seat-engaging, nonfunctioning position shown in Figure 2 and the higher or elevated seat-engaging functioning position shown in Figures l, 5 and 6. It will be understood that pad 12 yields to accommodate the sliding movement of the edges of the channel flanges up the sloping loop surfaces 25.

Preferably each seat 21, 22, 23, 24 is bounded along one edge by an upstanding ridge 26 which projects slightly above the level of the seat and retains the strut in the selected functioning position and over which the edge of the channel rides when the strut is shifted.

Ribs 27 on the strut upper and lower walls 28 and 29, respectively, reinforce the strut loop and limit the angular rotation of the strut although the edges of the loop upper and lower walls 28, -29 would limit the rotation of the strut if ribs 27 were not present.

`If the positive resistance to angular shifting of the strut provided by ridges 26 is unnecessary, these ridges may be omitted, and such a Structure is shown in Figure 7, in which the edges of the compression member flanges 31 are frictionally engaged by seats 32 on loop wall 33, but seats 33 have no upstanding ridge for retaining the chann nel iiange. Figures 1l, 12 and 13 illustrate another form 0f the invention in which the recess 40 in the strut loop 41,

rotated to its functiom'ng positions. A cushion 47 holds the strut wall 44 and compression member 42 in contact with each other.

The structures described. attain the advantages referred to in the introductory portion of the specilicationwbereby the strut may be readily shifted from right handvfunctioningposition to left hand. functioningposition without the use of any tools except that the brake lever L shownV in Figure 1, or a crowbar similarly applied, may facilitate shifting the strut to overcome the resistance of ridges 26 and lugs 9 to their rotation.

In the form shown in Figures 1i-l3, the recess 4t) in the, rear wall 44 of the loop will accommodate insertion of the usual key, indicated at K, to lock the strut against shifting, but this. is optional.

The details of thestructure may be varied other than asv shown without departing from the spirit of the invention and the exclusive use of those modifications coming Withinthe/scope of the claims is contemplated.

What is claimedl is:

l. A railway truss type brake beam comprising a compression member, a tension member and an elongated strut between said members intermediate their endsk and having a rectangular loop `at one end surrounding the compression member in a direction generally transversely ofthe. length of the latter, said strut being rotatable relative to said members about its longitudinal axis from a right-hand lever-mounting functioning position, to a lefthand lever-mounting functioning position, one of the upright walls of the loop forming spaced, substantially parallel seats facing inwardly of the loop opposite to the compression member and offset from each other lengthwise of the strut so as to be higher and lower respectively relative to said loop wall, there` beingV inclined ramp surfaces leading diagonally of the length of the loop between adjacentones of the offset seats and over which the compressionmember rides as the strutis shifted from one of said positions to the other of said positions, and a. slight ridge along the juncture of each higher seat and the corresponding ramp, said ridgesrestraining. the strut against rotation from movement off of the. higher level seats.

2, A railway truss type brake beam comprising acompression member of channel cross section, awtenson member and an elongated one-piece strut between said members intermediate Vtheir ends and having an integral rectangular loop at one end surrounding the compression member in a direction generally transversely of the length of the latter, said strut beingl rotatable relative to said members about its longitudinal axis from a right-hand lever-mounting functioning position, to a left-hand levermounting functioning position, one of the inner walls of tween the offset seats of each pair over which the flange edges of the compression member ride as the strut is shifted from one of said positions to the other of said positions, and a slight ridge along the juncture of each higher seat and the corresponding ramp projecting above the face of the higher seat and restraining the strut against rotation from movement off of the higher level seats.

3. A railway brake beam reversible strut having one end arranged to bear against a beam main tension member and its other end arranged to bear against a beam main compression member of channel cross section with an upright web and top and bottom flanges, the lattermentioned Vend of the strut forming a closed loop providing a passage through the strut for the beam compression member, one of the upright inner side walls of said loop providing` a flat substantially rectangular seatspaced from the top and bottom of said loop forarsidek ofthe compression member when the loopA length is disposed at right, angles to the.. beam length, ramps adjacent,y the.y four corners of said seat and sloping diagonally upwardly therefrom and from the open ends of the loop toward the adjacent ends of said inner wall and toward each other, and elevated seats extending between the upper ends of said ramps and disposed. parallel to said first-mentioned seat and offset therefrom toward the opposite side of the loop and disposed to thrust the other side of the compression member against the opposite side of the loop when the length of the Vloop is disposed diagonally of the beam length.

4. A railway brake beam reversible strut according to claim 3 which includesa ridge extending along the boundary between each elevated seat and the adiacent ramp and is disposed to engage the upright face of a channel compression member extending through the loop and to resist angular movement of the strut relative to the compression member from a normal operating position in which, the edge of the adjacent channel ange is on the seat behind the ridge. A

5. A truss type. brake beam comprising a compression member, a tension member and a rigid strut between said members intermediate the ends of said members and rotatable about its longitudinal axis from a left hand lever-inclining functioning position to a right hand leverinclining functioning position, the tension member having a face opposing one end of the strut, one inner wall of the strut loop opposing one side of the compression member and having seats in the same plane but spaced from each other lengthwise of the compression member for engaging a side of the compression member, there being a surface adjacent to said seats but offset therefrom away from the compression member and there being inclined ramps between said seats and said surface, the seat-opposing side of the compression member being slidable from one seat down the corresponding ramp andup the ramp to the adjacent corresponding seat when the strut is rotated about its axis between said functioning positions, there being a yielding pad between the opposite side of the compression member web and the other wall of the loop stmt.

6. In a railway truss type brake beam, a compression member, a tension member and a rigid one-piece strut extending between said members with one end seated against the tension member and the other end including an integral loop surrounding the compression member and having spaced inner and outer upright side walls at oppositesides of the compression member, said strut being movable angularly about its longitudinal axis to spaced angular positions determined by contact of the upper and lower walls of the loop with said compression member, one of said loop side walls having spaced raised seats facing the other side Wall near the top and near the bottom of the loop, one side of the compression member directly engaging one pair of diagonally opposite seats when the strut is in one angular position and directly engaging the other pair of diagonally opposite seats when the strut is in the other angular position, there being a recessed face between said seats in the loop side wall, and inclined ramps between said seats and said recessed face over which the seat engaging side of the compression member may slide from one pair of diagonal seats to the other pair of diagonally opposite seats as the strut is rotated about its longitudinal axis between said angular j positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 744,723 Crone NOV. 24, 1903 1,413,730 Hedgcock Apr. 25, 1922 1,434,817 Hedgcock Nov. 7, 1922 1,647,601 Bien-,nee Nov. i, 1927 2,244,232, Armstrong v k June 3, 1941 2,273,623 Busse Feb. 17, 1942 

